Calligraphy Lessons and Xitang Trip

 I had mentioned in my last post that I am now taking Chinese painting lessons. There is an interesting story as to how this came about. On a Friday afternoon, my friend Maggie and I had decided to play badminton at another University just across the street from our dorms. As we were walking through the campus on our way back to our own university, a friendly old man started to talk to us, asking us where we were from and how long we have studied Chinese. I couldn’t resist striking up a conversation!

Once he found out a bit about us he asked if we liked Chinese painting and calligraphy. When we said yes, he very proudly told us that he is a teacher of painting at the university and then he asked if we would like to see some of his paintings. At first we thought he was going to take us back to his classroom, but alas, he actually took us back to his apartment. As soon as we walked in he began to pull out photo album upon photo album of pictures of the students he has taught. Apparently, he specializes in teaching foreign students. Around the door frame in his living room are flags of every country that he has had a student from. 

So long story short, my friend and I are now taking painting lessons twice a week. For an hour and a half lesson we pay our teacher about $8. Let me tell you, having an actual teacher definitely beats trying to learn from YouTube videos! 

In addition to painting, classes, and my internship I have found some time to go on little excursions around Shanghai and outside of it. Two weekends ago, I took a trip to Xitang, a town about an hour and a half away from Shanghai. As with most of the towns outside of Shanghai, it is known for its canals, scenery, and souvenir shopping. My friends and I had a great time exploring, although we somehow missed most of the “tourist attractions”. There was plenty to do just walking down the streets. To end our day, we even went on a little boat ride down the canal.

 Last weekend we also went a similar type of historic town, but this one is actually located on the outskirts of Shanghai. While not as impressive as Xitang, it was still nice to see and eat some of the snack food. Since it was a Sunday, it was also quite crowded. It was hard to move while walking down the main street. I’m surprised my group managed to stay together.

Since pretty much all of my posts touch on some of the food I eat here, I have to mention this wonderful restaurant that I found. It is called Julie’s Food Experience and it specializes in Canadian food! We first went because we heard they served breakfast food, but that is not all. You can get pretty much any type of American food you can think of. So far, I have had quesadillas, pasta, pancakes, and hummus (not all together though!). Last time I also had a slice of carrot cake which may have been one of the best I’ve ever had. Only problem with Julie’s is that it is kind of expensive; especially since it’s very, very difficult to restrain yourself from ordering more than one dish on the menu.

 
On Wednesdays I have my internship so I end up going out to eat with my coworkers. I have to say, this may be the highlight of my work day. Each time they take me out to a different place. First it was a Noodle restaurant, then the company cafeteria, and today was the best of all. We went to IKEA! The office building is just down the street from the IKEA in Shanghai and apparently it’s super popular among the Chinese, particularly for lunch. I had great Swedish meatballs and a fresh salad. Now I have never eaten a full meal at IKEA before, but I definitely want to go back. I was trying to explain to my coworkers that in American people go to eat at IKEA because it’s so cheap. In China, the meal, which cost me about $4, is actually considered expensive.